The King by Rick Soper Read Free Book Online Page A

face. He walked past the secretary without so much as a glance. Inside, Tom Francis sat behind his massive desk, talking on the phone. He barely acknowledged Stevens until the FBI agent yanked the phone out of his hand and slammed it into its cradle with a resounding thump.
    Francis looked up at him. “Is there something I can do for you, Agent Stevens?”
    If anything, Francis’ cool tone, only ratcheted up Stevens’ hatred of the man. “Good, Stevens said, “You know who I am–”
    “Of course I know who you are,” Francis said, holding his eye. “It’s my job to know the famous, no matter what field they come from. So I would have to know one of the FBI’s most celebrated agents: the man who solved the X Spot Murders, caught The Casino Killer, brought The Central Valley Sniper to justice, and found The Bainbridge Killer before the local sheriff even knew there was a killer to be found.”
    “Yeah, so you can read–”
    “Yes, and I must say your surly reputation preceded you, and was confirmed by the rude way you burst in here. That said, if you ever want to make a whole lot of money on writing some books, I could manipulate that image to our–”
    Stevens grabbed him by the front of his shirt, picked him up in the air, slammed him down onto his desk and jammed his face inches away from Francis’. “I’m not here to play your bullshit games,” he said. “I’m not one of your needy, damaged clients, and you’re not going to manipulate me!” He poked a meaty finger into Francis’ chest. “Do. You. Understand?”
    “Y-y-yeah…” Francis stuttered out, his composure shattered.
    Stevens picked him up again and threw him back into his chair, hard enough that it rolled across the floor and slammed into the back wall, the crash followed moments later by the sound of broken glass as an award fell off of a shelf above him and shattered on the floor. Stevens pointed a finger at Francis. “Now I want a list of the problems that you covered up for Billy Stone.”
    “I... I can’t–”
    Stevens lunged towards Francis. “Don’t give me that bullshit! If we don’t find Billy Stone fast you’re going to lose one of your largest clients!”
    “You mean he didn’t just take off?” Though he was still cowering under the shelf, Stevens’ words seemed to wake him up – it looked as though it had never occurred to Francis that Billy could actually be in trouble
    Stevens bent down and got close to Francis’ face. “Somebody got hold of him and is probably in the process of doing some very bad things to him, while you try to bullshit me.”
    “Shit.” Francis said.
    “Yeah...Shit...” Stevens drew himself up to his full six-foot-five inches. “Now cough up the list!”
    Francis pulled the chair up to the desk, opened up the laptop and started tapping keys. “In most of these cases, and there aren’t that many, there was a mutual confidentiality agreement that was signed.”
    “They don’t finger your boy as a creep, and he doesn’t publicly call them a slut.”
    Francis looked up at him, shrugged and rolled his eyes. “That’s about right.” He pulled a sheaf of papers off of the printer by his desk and handed them to Stevens.
    The papers revealed a small army of Stone’s women, each one ultimately bought off by Francis. Finally, Stevens looked up at him. “I see,” he said, barely controlling his urge to pick the man up and throw him into the desk, again. “You’re a complete asshole.”
    Francis looked up at him. “I have to protect my clients.”
    “No matter who you hurt?”
    “It’s my job.”
    Stevens lurched towards him, letting his hands curl into fists, liking the look of fear on Francis’ face as he cowered.
    “Well, that’s a pretty fucked up job,” he said. Then he turned to the door, Francis all but forgotten. If someone had wanted to hurt Billy Stone, it was probably one of the names on that list.

Chapter 17
     
    Upon the completion of the most successful IPO in